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The first thing that popped into my head when I clapped eyes on this shadow quad from Quo was: “Hey, that looks like a dupe for some of the high end palettes from brands like Tom Ford and Charlotte Tilbury.” I normally skirt around the Quo products at Shopper’s Drug Mart, because I find their products to be high priced and of dubious quality. What we have here is an exception though. It is fairly high priced, ($20 is a lot for a drugstore eye quad), but the quality is excellent. All four of the shades in this “Downtown Brown” quad are buttery soft and blend beautifully. The really genius bit, though, is the inclusion of a deep brown liner shade that really works! This palette actually shaves a bit of time off my smokey eye routine, because I don’t have to go rummaging for a separate liner. That’s right, the powder liner is pigmented enough that I can skip pencil!

My only gripe about this product is that the packaging could be a bit better. Although the compact is sturdy and substantial, it lacks a clasp or magnetic closure to hold it shut. It’s one of those compacts where the mirror swivels in all directions. When the compact is closed, there’s nothing to stop the top portion from sliding open, so it’s not very travel friendly.

Oh my. I’m tryna find the words to describe this palette without being disrespectful! Seriously, there really are no words to describe how beautiful this palette is. I’ve waited a long time to get my hands on one of these (Charlotte Tilbury products are not easy to get in Canada), and it was so worth the wait!

I’ve had the pleasure of using a lot of high quality shadows, but these are just…something else. These just might be the most finely milled powder shadows I’ve ever come across. They are so soft, but they don’t crumble or kick up any powder. They have a slippery, almost silicone feel when you dip your fingers in. They’re beautifully pigmented and are like heaven to apply.

No, I haven’t given up on my mission to post pics of each of the polishes in the Ciaté Mini Mani Month advent calendar that came out this past holiday season. Here we have the shade “Amazing Gracie,” a pale, slightly pinky cream shade. It’s cute, but I wasn’t crazy about this one, because it went on kind of streaky. It took three coats to get to full opacity, and then it took ages to dry. I think this shade is easily dupe-able, and you can probably find it in a superior formula. I know Essie has several similar shades.

I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I love makeup brushes. I have loads from different brands, and I seem to keep acquiring new ones. I really am spoiled for choice, and yet, there are a few brushes in my collection that never seem to get a rest. These are the “workhorse brushes,” multipurpose brushes that never fail to do the job and do it well.

So I decided to give some love to these brushes with a series of posts on a few of my all-time favourites. And what better place to start than with one of the first makeup brushes I ever purchased.

Here we have the Definition Brush from Canadian brand Lise Watier. This was literally one of the very first professional quality brushes I bought upon graduation from sponge tip applicators. I’ve had this brush for about 8 years, and it has worked tirelessly in that time. When I first bought it, the bristles were jet black, but now it’s been used and washed so many times that much of the dye is gone, and you can see the natural colour of the bristles coming through. It hasn’t lost its softness though. I believe this brush is intended to be a crease blending brush (similar to the MAC 224), and it’s awesome for that purpose, but I use it for other things too. Sometimes I use it to apply highlighter or to set my under-eye concealer with powder. I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth out of it and will continue to use it until the bristles fall out!

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It’s a good thing I had a scroll back through the photos in my blog folder, because I realized I forgot to do a post on the Armani Eye Tints! I have two of these: #6 Green Iron and #4 Emeraude. Green Iron is an olive/khaki shade with golden shimmer, and Emeraude is a blackened emerald green. (Think MAC Club on steroids.)

These are liquid/cream shadows that you apply with a doe foot applicator. I find them to be creamy, blendable and long-lasting. I also find these shadows to be fairly versatile, as they can be worn alone or under/over powder shadows. You can also play with the intensity. They go on quite bold, but can easily be sheered out for a subtle smokey look. I think Green Iron is my favourite. Emeraude is bolder, darker and harder to wear. I’ve taken to using it as a liner.

There are a lot of gorgeous neutrals available in this line, but I went for a couple of shades that are different than anything else I have.

Seen any good tutorials using these shades? Post them in the comments. I’m eager for ideas.